Every Heart
by Kaijukote
Summary: Twin sisters Kikyo and Kagome are very close to eacother. When Kikyo leaves to heal those wounded by the war, she is chosen to protect the Shikon Jewel from Demons. Kagome doubts her own worth, and searches her out. KagomeXKikyo Friendship!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha

**Ki-Chan, Ka-Chan!**

_She was in a peculiar place. It was lit with a brilliant light, the sky merging with the ground._

_"Tell me, what is your name?" a voice asked. "You look like somebody I used to know…"_

_A man came out of nowhere and cupped her chin in her hand, trying to get a better look at her._

"_Who are you?" _

"Kagome! Are you _still_ asleep?"

"Ugh…" Kagome sat up and rubbed her eyes. She spotted the culprit in the form of her twin sister Kikyo, leaning through her bedroom's window peering at her. "Ki-Chan? Why did you wake me up?" Kagome asked in annoyance. "I'm leaving, of course. I had told you the night before to awaken early to bid me farewell. But I see that was wishful thinking on my part." Kikyo teased. Kagome smiled.

Kikyo and Kagome often mocked the stereotypes that their parents and the villagers that put them into. According to anyone else, Kagome was the cute, bashful twin with an eagerness to make friends and solve conflicts. Kikyo was the beautiful, serene twin with an air of no-nonsense about her and a tendency to be a 'lone wolf'.

The truth being, Kagome was a lot less innocent than many people thought. Being often exposed to fighting, she only solved peoples' problems because she feared the worst for them if the conflict wasn't resolved. Kikyo, however, only appeared to be unconcerned with other people because she believed she could better focus on protecting them if she wasn't "in the middle of them" so to speak.

Kagome had once said to her sister, "Ki-Chan! Let's never show our real selves to the other people! That way, you'll be the only one who knows me, and I'll be the only one who knows you." Kikyo considered that, then replied, "That sounds… terribly lonely." "No its not! This way, we'll always have each other!"

Kikyo and Kagome were twin priestesses who guarded a shrine near the ocean. The village had natural protection from the sea and surrounding mountains. Kikyo was traveling away to heal the wounded of a sister village, and keep it safe from demons.

"I'll be right outside!" Kagome shouted, and then promptly shut her window in Kikyo's face. Kikyo sighed in exasperation, then smiled when she heard Kagome giggling at her from inside the house.

A while later, Kagome caught up to Kikyo as she slowly walked up to the path leading away from the village. They took their time, taking in the sights. They reached the edge of the little town. And then…

"Ki-Chan…" Kagome started.

"Kagome, we've been through this-"

"Ki-Chan!" Kagome protested.

"-And you know that my departure-"

"Kiii-Chaaan." Kagome whined.

"-Is, in fact, completely necessary-"

"Ki-Chan?"

"-And beneficial to the village alliance. You _know_ that."

"_Ki-Chan_."

"Ka-Chan!!"

Kagome then smiled, having gotten what she wanted all along. "You know Kikyo, when you became an official priestess, you had promised never to use childish names ever again."

"Just this once, I will make an exception to that promise." Said Kikyo.

"Kikyo, promise me that you aren't going to go off and _get married_!"

"Of course not…" said Kikyo.

Kikyo started walking into the tree line.

"Goodbye, Ki-Chan!"

"Sayonara, sister."


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha

A Decision made

An old woman was picking weeds from her herbal garden in the hot sun. Her name was Kaede, an old woman known for her knowledge of plants and various diseases. She was having a hard time of it, too, her back was bad and was losing her sight in her old age. She turned suddenly, feeling a presence behind her. 'The younger of priestess twins…' she thought.

"Kaede-Sama! I'm _bored_." Kagome complained. "Heavens, Child! A mob of centipede demons couldn't keep ye entertained long." Scoffed he old woman.

"That's because I would blast them to bits before they did anything interesting!" the girl explained.

"Ye could help me weed out this blasted garden." Kaede suggested.

"Only if we do something fun afterwards." Said Kagome.

With the young woman in tow, the job was finished considerably faster than it normally would have been. Kaede sat down under the shade of a droopy, knotted ancient tree. Kagome then proceeded to climb it. "Kagome, this old thing isn't at all stable. Now please, come down here and act like _a lady_." Said Kaede. With a snapping sound, a branch fell and came rather closely to crushing Kaede.

"Ah. It isn't safe. You're right." Kagome admitted, then flopped down on the ground next to Kaede.

In the distance, the clouds were darkening the sky and the wind began to pick up.

"Kaede, tell me a story." Kagome said.

"You're much too old for that sort of thing. What would your sister say if she knew how ye were acting in her absence?"

"Kikyo would have told me a story to shut me up." Kagome replied. "But she isn't very good at it."

"Why don't we practice with your bow and arrows?" Kaede asked.

"All right! If I practice hard, I'll be loads better at shooting then her when she returns." Kagome promised.

Kagome quickly went inside and grabbed her equipment, then went to the field were she and Kikyo had often practiced together. "Kaede!" she yelled and waved, signaling that she was ready. "The target is the central tree!" Kaede shouted.

"Hit the mark!" Kagome said as she shot the arrow, aiming a the tree. It hit dead center.

"Now! The left tree!"

"Hyah!" screamed Kagome. The arrow hit its target.

"The right!"

"Gotcha!" The arrow hit.

"Center!"

They would have continued, but a crack of thunder sounded in their ears and its lightning lit up the sky.

"Aggh!" screamed Kagome, who had lost her concentration and fired a sacred arrow into the sky.

The towns people looked at the unusual light and fled into their houses. Kaede walked up next to Kagome, who had done a face-plant and remained that way. "Kagome, ye mustn't panic at every sound ye hear. When fight demons, ye must expect the unexpected." Kaede chastised.

"Kikyo always was more talented…" Kagome pouted.

"She may be better at controlling her power than ye, but ye have much more potential than her, perhaps more than any priestess I've ever seen." Said Kaede.

No more was said on the topic, but as much as Kaede knew that Kagome was only pretending to be angry at her sister because of how worried she was.

'Ki-Chan… Please come home soon.'


	3. Chapter 3

**Doubt, and Human Weakness**

_Days passed. Nothing._

_Nights, too. Still nothing._

_Even though she isn't here, days still bleed into weeks. And finally, A whole month has gone by. Then, Months._

_Kagome used that time to practice her heart out. Kaede insisted that she was improving. But if that was the truth, why did she feel so weak? Insignificant?_

_Was it because Kikyo's powers were also increasing, and were rapidly beginning to dwarf her own? If Kikyo became drastically stronger, would Kagome become expendable? Would she become a weak link? But of course that would never happen._

_But…_

_If not that…_

_By some spiritual connection, or twin psyche, was she feeling herself being … replaced? _

"_What is this feeling_?" thought Kagome. Then, to the messenger from another village, she said, "Please repeat your message." He cleared his throat and began, "To the priestess Kagome, from the head of the Village of the Demon Slayers, 'We have entrusted the sacred Jewel, the Shikon no Tama, to the priestess Kikyo. She was the most suited to hold the position of the guardian of the Sacred Jewel. We are to relay this message to you, priestess, by instruction from Kikyo-Sama.' End Message."

Kagome could only look dumbly back at the man. "She… She isn't coming back?" she thought out loud. Her head spun. "Demon Slaying Village? Shikon Jewel? What?" The man could only stare back at her blankly, clearly giving her a look that said, 'I don't write the messages, I just deliver them.' "Do you have that… in writing?" she asked sheepishly. "Yessmam!" He handed her a scroll. It sure _looked_ important. The message, a signature, a seal… But it _couldn't_ be true. She bolted away from the man. "Strange girl." He shrugged.

She reached Kaede's hut, and threw open the blinds. "Kaede-Sama!!"

"What _is_ it child?" asked the old woman. "My sister!" Kagome panted. "She isn't… coming back… because…this!" she thrust he scroll into the old woman's hands and abruptly collapsed. 'Kagome always _was_ melodramatic.' Thought Kaede.

"Kikyo is becoming the guardian of the Sacred Jewel!" Kaede said. It was more of a statement than a question. Her eyes shone with pride for her student. "But Kaede-Sama!" said Kagome, who was back on her feet and had mysteriously "recovered". "You are missing the point! She promised that she would come back. She promised."

"Kagome, protecting the Shikon no Tama is a great honor. Ye should be proud of Kikyo's accomplishments, not envious."

Kagome gaped at her. Kaede thought that she was jealous! That wasn't even _close_! "Kaede, I'm not jealous!"

"There is no need to hide it child. It happens to us all. Envy is a very human emotion." Kaede started.

'She is _lecturing_ me.' thought Kagome. "Kaede-Sama, I'm worried about why she hadn't just told me herself. She never does anything important without first talking about it with me." Kagome looked down at the floor. Kaede knew that something like this would happen. To Kagome, it seemed like Kikyo was cutting all ties with her. They were always so dependent on each other. 'It must break Kagome's heart, but it appears Kikyo has matured enough to forage her own path, alone.' Thought Kaede.

"I'll… I'll go too." Kagome suddenly said.

"Kagome, I do not think-"

"Why not? I can still help her! What she is doing is dangerous!"

"Kagome, Kikyo wants to do this alone." Kaede said gently.

Kagome looked up, startled. "What…? Why?"

"She is building her own future, as ye need to do."

"But…"

"Ye need to depend more on yourself. Your sister must also think this."

'Kikyo thinks that too?' "I don't want to talk about it anymore…" said Kagome, and when she left all the life seemed to go out of the house.

'What do I have to do? Find my own path, and boldly go forward into the unknown? That's stupid.' Kagome tossed over, trying to find a more comfortable position. But sleep would not come to her tonight. 'I want to amount to something.' She thought. 'But I want to be with Kikyo too. She's the only one who knows the _real_ me.' She sat up, then looked out of the window. The moon smiled down at her, a crescent. It reminded her of Kikyo's own half smiles. Then, a sudden realization struck Kagome. "Did she break our promise?" It was scary. 'I'm the only one who really knows her!' But she wasn't so sure anymore.

The moon was still smiling.


	4. Chapter 4

**Title**

_Clothes_

_Some travel food?_

She was making a mental list.

_Money_

_Bow (And extra arrows!!)_

_Something sentimental_

"Although, Kikyo always travels light." Said Kagome. 'But I'm going to do what I want.'

She tied the sash of her priestess kimono, securing it tightly. She didn't usually were one that was so formal, but this was an exception. 'I'll look just like Kikyo if I wear a serious expression.' She began to load everything that she would need into her pack. "Something sentimental…" she frowned, and then began to look for it. She fingered a small pendant that she had made for "Ki-Chan". It as a bit crude, but very heartfelt. "And she had refused to wear it." 'Too _childish_, she said.' And yet, she had kept it all this time. But no, she wouldn't take it.

"Who needs sentimentality these days, anyway?"

She struggled into her pack. It was so much _heavier_ than she would have thought. "Weighs a ton…!" she said.

She walked down the path, and looked around the village. She would miss it.

The children stopped shouting and decided to try and follow her without her noticing. It was a game that she had taught them, one day when they had been bored. Kikyo, the busy bee, had been running errands to and fro for Kaede. Kagome had decided that it would be fun to follow her around for awhile. It was great, sneaking around and seeing Kikyo stop and turn around with a strange expression, trying to find her pursuers. At the end of the day, Kikyo had asked her why they had been tailing her. Kagome had replied, so seriously, as if she was telling Kikyo the secret of the universe;

"It was _fun_! You should try fooling around sometime, Ki-Chan."

Kaede was waiting at the end of the path. Looking exasperated, she said "Ye aren't going to change your mind, correct?"

"No, not now." She replied.

"I hope that ye aren't doing this because ye feel belittled by Kikyo."

"No! I mean, I just want to go out, and do something. Something important."

"We need you here, Kagome!" "Don't go away!" "What?! Why are you leaving?" the children came out of their hiding places and confronted her with teary eyes. Kagome's heart flipped. It almost made her want to stay. But…

"I'm going to go… and become part of the world. I want to be necessary to someone." She looked back at her home, it looked familiar, friendly…

She put on a serious expression, and turned to Kaede. "You can certainly handle protection here, right Kaede-Sama?"

"Yes…"

"Good!" she smiled brightly and walked into the dark forest… waving and laughing as she went.


End file.
